The Razor Edge between Success and Failure

2nd August 2019

Dr Lennon’s Sunday Musings

Just to share a bit of tricks of the trade when handling animals… Very often, the closer we handle the dangerous bits of the animals, the safer it is. For example, if you are standing literally beside the horse’s back leg, it is harder to get kicked. To prevent the dog from biting you or anyone else when performing minor procedures like blood sampling and placing an intravenous catheter, the closer you get to the head/muzzle area to secure it, the less likely anyone will be get bitten when the dog swings round. Similarly for cats, to reduce the risk of getting bitten, you place your hand closer to the head than further away from the head. The best example would be when handling snakes. Notice how the handler always keeps her hand just behind the head and not in the middle of the body. In doing so, the snake is less likely to bite her compared to if she handled the middle part of the body as part of the restraint.

So, why have I said this? It just reminded me that sometimes success is very similar. Just when you feel you have failed, the tide turns. Sometimes it is only when you think you cannot give any more and feel like giving up, your ‘luck’ changes. Success lies in the razor edge of failure. The question we need to ask ourselves is not how to succeed but when we fail, do we fail forwards or backwards. Are we brave enough to fail or are we afraid to fail? Many would just stop trying in fear of failing. In doing so, they do not fail but they not give themselves the chance to succeed. They do not realise that the opposite of success is not failure. The opposite of success is not trying. If we do not fail, it merely means we have not tried anything new and not expanded ourselves which also mean we are not growing. When you take a close look at success you soon discover that there is a fine line that separates it from failure.

So, for those who keep pushing, I encourage you to keep pushing! Remember, success is just on the other side of failure. Just like the paradox of the safest spot being beside the dangerous teeth or hooves of animals! Comment below your greatest struggle at the moment and what would it mean to succeed.

“Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T Kiyosaki

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